Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
The ITV autumn schedules would not be the same without a new series of This Is Your Life, and the programme's 17th series made history in more ways than one.
The first member of the British royal family to be featured as a subject had his life story celebrated in the programme's first hour-long edition. But, as he was presented with the Big Red Book and the words This Is Your Life, he looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?"
The programme was the first edition to include a commercial break, was the most-watched television programme of 1977, with recorded viewing figures of 22.22 million, and was repeated later that year on Boxing Day.
Meanwhile, an explorer and author became the only known subject to record both This Is Your Life and the BBC's Desert Island Discs radio programme on the same day!
Producer Jack Crawshaw revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, published in March 1977.
This year's Christmas edition set a pantomime trend, with possibly the first male subject to be surprised while wearing drag!
related pages...
the show's fifty year history
Mr Crawshaw ... This is your nightmare
Daily Telegraph interview with producer Jack Crawshaw
| Frankie HOWERD | Comedian | 27 October 1976 |
| Wilfred HYDE-WHITE | Actor | 3 November 1976 |
| John BLASHFORD-SNELL | Army officer, explorer and author | 10 November 1976 |
| Mervyn DAVIES | Rugby union player | 17 November 1976 |
| Pam AYRES | Poet and broadcaster | 24 November 1976 |
| Ivy BENSON | Bandleader of renowned all-female band | 1 December 1976 |
| Jim WICKS | Boxing manager | 8 December 1976 |
| Joss ACKLAND | Actor | 15 December 1976 |
| John INMAN | Comedy actor | 22 December 1976 |
| Patrick CARGILL | Actor | 29 December 1976 |
| Sheila HANCOCK | Actress | 5 January 1977 |
| Tom O'CONNOR | Comedian | 12 January 1977 |
| Florence PRIEST | Medical missionary | 19 January 1977 |
| Tony BRITTON | Actor | 26 January 1977 |
| Molly WEIR | Actress | 2 February 1977 |
| Anthony QUAYLE | Actor | 9 February 1977 |
| Alfred PAVEY | Lifeboat coxswain | 16 February 1977 |
| Michael DENISON | Actor | 23 February 1977 |
| Mary CHIPPERFIELD | Animal trainer and circus entertainer | 2 March 1977 |
| Leonard SACHS | Actor and chairman of The Good Old Days | 9 March 1977 |
| Cyril FLETCHER | Comedian | 16 March 1977 |
| Matt MONRO | Singer | 23 March 1977 |
| Tony GREIG | Cricketer | 30 March 1977 |
| John FROST | Army Officer | 6 April 1977 |
| Brian RIX | Actor-manager and charity campaigner | 13 April 1977 |
| Alberto SEMPRINI | Pianist | 20 April 1977 |
| Louis MOUNTBATTEN | Statesman and naval officer | 27 April 1977 |
Broadcast details
Thames Television production for ITV27 editions | 26 x 30 minutes | 1 x 60 minutes
Wednesday | 7.00pm x 26 | 8.00pm x 1
Production team
Executive Producer: Jack Andrews | Producer: Jack CrawshawDirectors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood, Anthony Parker
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley, John Sandilands | Programme Consultants: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Researchers: Maurice Leonard, Marilyn Gaunt, Lavinia Warner, Debbie Gaunt, Tony Lee, John Viner
Programme Associate: Kay Bird | Designers: Gordon Toms, Jack Robinson, Peter Elliott, John Dilly, Sylva Nadolny